2007 Daytona 500
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The 2007 Daytona 500 (officially the 49th Annual Daytona 500) was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series stock car race that was held on February 18, 2007, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida before 185,000 spectators. It was the first race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season and the 49th running of the event. Richard Childress Racing driver Kevin Harvick won the 202-lap race, which was extended from its scheduled distance of 200 laps due to a green–white–checkered finish. Mark Martin of Ginn Racing finished second and Harvick's teammate Jeff Burton came in third.
Background
Preview
The Daytona 500 was confirmed to be included in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series' 2007 schedule in August 2006.[1] It was the first of 36 scheduled stock car races for the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and the 49th annual edition of the event. The race was held on February 18, 2007 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, with a scheduled distance of 200 laps and Script error: No such module "convert"..[2] The track is a Script error: No such module "convert". superspeedway and has four corners, which are banked as high as 31 degrees.[3] The front stretch, where the start-finish line is located, is banked at 18 degrees, while the back stretch has three-degree banking.[2] The event was first introduced to the series' calendar in February 1959 and became the season-opening race of the series in 1982. It is considered one of NASCAR's crown jewel races, alongside the Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500, and Brickyard 400.[4][5] Jimmie Johnson was the defending race winner.[6]
Entries
Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Sixty-one cars were officially entered for the Daytona 500,[7] representing four different manufacturers and 29 teams.[8][9] Among the many stories heading into the event was the Cup Series debut of Toyota, which became the first foreign car manufacturer to compete in the series since Alfa Romeo in 1962.[10] Toyota supplied their Camry vehicle for Bill Davis Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR), and the newly-formed Red Bull Racing Team.[11] High expectations surrounded Juan Pablo Montoya, a winner in Formula One and the Indianapolis 500, as he was set to begin his highly publicized rookie season with Chip Ganassi Racing.[12] Former Champ Car World Series driver A. J. Allmendinger also prepared for his series debut as he was teamed with Brian Vickers at the Red Bull Racing Team;[13] Vickers' former seat at Hendrick Motorsports was taken by Casey Mears.[14] Mark Martin ended his 19-year tenure with Roush Fenway Racing to race part-time with Ginn Racing beginning at Daytona, allowing David Ragan to replace him in the Page Template:Tooltip/styles.css has no content.Template:EncodefirstScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 6 car.[15] James Hylton, the 1966 Rookie of the Year, hoped to become the oldest driver to start a Cup Series race at 72 years old with his self-owned Chevrolet.[16] Eight-time ARCA Re/Max Series champion Frank Kimmel joined Fast Track Racing in his attempt to make his series debut.[2]
Testing
To prepare for the race, NASCAR hosted six days of testing split into twelve sessions, named the Jackson Hewitt Preseason Thunder, at Daytona International Speedway; the first three sessions were held from January 8 to 10, and the latter three took place from January 15 to 17. The sessions began at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (UTC−05:00), were paused for an hour-long lunch break at 12:00 p.m., and ended at 5:00 p.m.[17] Derrike Cope, Elliott, Kevin Lepage, and Morgan Shepherd did not take part in any of the testing sessions. Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon were substituted by Mike McLaughlin and P. J. Jones, respectively, with Gordon opting to compete in the Dakar Rally.[18]
On the morning of January 8, Tony Raines was quickest of the 25 participants with a speed of Script error: No such module "convert".. The afternoon session that day was cancelled due to rainfall and rescheduled to January 11. Between the 26 drivers who completed laps on January 9, Jamie McMurray topped the speed charts in the morning session at Script error: No such module "convert"., and Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Script error: No such module "convert". lap made him fastest in the afternoon session. On January 10, McLaughlin posted the fastest speed in the morning at Script error: No such module "convert"., while Jeff Green was quickest in the afternoon with a speed of Script error: No such module "convert".. To end the first week of testing, Ricky Rudd was fastest between 16 drivers on the morning of January 11 at Script error: No such module "convert"..[18]
Because rain had drenched the track until 11:00 AM, the morning and afternoon sessions were combined and the lunch break was cancelled for January 15. With 34 drivers taking part, David Gilliland topped the speed charts at Script error: No such module "convert".. Montoya was quickest on the morning of January 16 with a speed of Script error: No such module "convert"., but collided with the wall as Mike Wallace spun. Ryan Newman's lap speed of Script error: No such module "convert". made him quickest of the afternoon session. With five minutes left in the session, Kurt Busch's engine expired and he parked off-track with a trail of smoke. On January 17, Kurt Busch posted the fastest speed of Script error: No such module "convert". with a Car of Tomorrow, set to debut in the Food City 500, which utilized a Script error: No such module "convert". restrictor plate instead of the standard Script error: No such module "convert". plate. The afternoon session, which ended at 1:30 PM due to rain, was led by Paul Menard with a speed of Script error: No such module "convert"..[19]
Practice and qualifying
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Six practice sessions were held prior to the race. The first two sessions on February 10 lasted 120 and 90 minutes, respectively. The next two on February 14 ran for 55 and 50 minutes. A 60-minute session was held on February 16, followed by an 80-minute session the next day.[20] Rudd posted the fastest lap of the first practice session with a time of 48.374 seconds, with Robert Yates Racing (RYR) teammate Gilliland in second, Sterling Marlin in third, Jeff Gordon in fourth, and Elliott Sadler in fifth.[21] The session was briefly halted for Dave Blaney, whose engine had expired.[22] Rudd was again fastest during the second practice session with a 48.190-second lap, besting Marlin, Gilliland, Jeremy Mayfield, and Jeff Gordon.[23]
The qualifying session was held on February 11.[20] Unlike most NASCAR races, it only determined the top two starting positions for the Daytona 500. Positions third through 39th would be determined by the Gatorade Duels on February 15; the four fastest drivers of qualifying who weren't already locked in to the race would occupy the last four positions, three if a champion's provisional was to be used for the most recent series champion that wasn't already guaranteed to compete in the race.[2] With a lap of 48.304 seconds, Gilliland earned his first career pole position and was joined on the grid's front row by Rudd, who was almost two tenths of a second slower. It was the second time, and the first since 2000, that two RYR drivers qualified on the front row in the Daytona 500.[24]
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Two days after qualifying, Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne were both docked 50 Drivers' Championship points and their entries lost 50 Owners' Championship points after NASCAR officials discovered unapproved holes in their cars which enhanced their aerodynamics. Their qualifying times were also disallowed, forcing them to start at the rear for the second Duel race. In addition, their crew chiefs, Robbie Reiser and Kenny Francis, were suspended for the first four races of the season and fined $50,000.[26][27] Kahne's Evernham Motorsports teammates, Scott Riggs and Sadler, were found to have illegal bolts in their spoilers and were penalized with a loss of 25 drivers' and owners' points, while their crew chiefs (Rodney Childers and Josh Browne) faced a two-race suspension and a $25,000 fine.[28][29] The following day, Michael Waltrip's crew chief David Hyder and MWR's director of competition Bobby Kennedy were both escorted out of Daytona and suspended indefinitely after NASCAR officials found an unidentified illegal substance in two of his intake manifolds and confiscated Waltrip's car.[30] Hyder was levied a $100,000 fine, the largest in the history of the sport,Template:Efn while Waltrip was docked 100 drivers' points and his entry 100 owners' points.[31][32]
Kenseth was the quickest driver of the third practice session with a time of 47.801 seconds; Reed Sorenson, Mears, Wallace, and Derrike Cope rounded out the top-five.[33] Riggs, Rudd, Menard, Hamlin, Carl Edwards, and Gilliland all scraped the wall and damaged their cars throughout the session due to the windy air conditions.[22] Newman topped the fourth practice session later that day at 47.957 seconds, ahead of Jeff Burton, Blaney, Stewart, and Greg Biffle.[34] Stewart and Gordon won the Gatorade Duels the day after and secured the third and fourth positions on the starting grid, respectively.[35] However, Gordon's car was found to be an inch too low in post-race inspections because the shock mount and spacers intended to hold the rear shock absorber were misaligned, and he was thus forced to start the Daytona 500 in 42nd place.[36] The 18 drivers that failed to qualify for the race were Mayfield, Mike Skinner, Regan Smith, Ward Burton, Menard, Allmendinger, Lepage, Bill Elliott, Vickers, Kenny Wallace, Kimmel, Mike Bliss, Eric McClure, Stanton Barrett, Kirk Shelmerdine, Cope, Brandon Whitt, and Hylton.[37]
Rudd was fastest in the fifth practice session with a timed lap of 47.315 seconds, with Biffle in second, Martin Truex Jr. in third, Kurt Busch in fourth, and Blaney in fifth.[38] David Stremme's lap time of 47.342 seconds made him the quickest driver of the final practice session, besting Kyle Busch, Johnny Sauter, Joe Nemechek, and Ragan.[39]
Qualifying results
Race
Live television coverage of the race in the United States was broadcast on Fox and began at 2:01 p.m.[42] Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, and Larry McReynolds provided commentary for the race.[2] Weather conditions towards the beginning of the race were breezy and sunny, with air temperatures recorded at Script error: No such module "convert". and track temperatures at Script error: No such module "convert"., with Script error: No such module "convert". wind gusts.[2][42] A sellout crowd of 185,000 spectators attended the race.[40] Pre-race festivities began with a moment of silence for the victims of the 2007 Groundhog Day tornado outbreak and an invocation from Reverend Doctor Victor E. Gooden.[43] Country music band Big & Rich performed the national anthem, and actor Nicolas Cage commanded the drivers to start their engines. A military flyover by McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagles proceeded afterward. Cal Ripken Jr., who had recently been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, was the honorary pace car driver.[2][42] Prior to the race, three drivers (J. J. Yeley, Sorenson, and David Reutimann) fell to the rear of the grid for changing transmissions.[40]
To start the race, the green flag was waved at 3:30 p.m.[42] by Phil Parsons, whose brother Benny had passed away a month prior due to lung cancer.[2] Gilliland maintained his pole position advantage and held onto the lead,[42] while Rudd fell to sixth place by lap two. Kurt Busch and Stewart also improved to second and third, respectively.[43] On the sixth lap, Earnhardt Jr.'s car briefly spewed tire smoke as he drove over the many bumps in the corners. Seven laps later, Jeff Gordon's car drifted up into the outside wall in turn two while he ran 21st.[42] The first caution flag of the race was issued on lap 18 when Boris Said collided with the left-side door of Reutimann exiting turn two and spun through the pavement on the back stretch.[44] All of the leaders made pit stops for tires and fuel, and a quick two-tire stop for Kurt Busch allowed him to take the lead for the restart on lap 21, followed by Gilliland, Stewart, Earnhardt Jr., and Newman.[42][44]
On lap 152, Stewart got on the apron in turn 4, got loose, and spun into Kurt Busch. He spun to a halt, while Busch kept the engine going and went to the garage area for repairs. However, with 46 laps to go, he was unable to continue and did not finish the race. A fourth caution came on lap 175 when a 5-car crash involving Reutimann, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Green and Tony Raines occurred in the backstretch. Mark Martin took the lead shortly before the yellow flag came out. Another crash which took out Ken Schrader happened on lap 186, after contact from Dave Blaney who was parked for the remainder of the race (who may have been unaware of his right front tire being flat according to Darrell Waltrip). With 5 laps to go, Matt Kenseth ran into Jamie McMurray, who hit the wall and collected Dale Earnhardt Jr. with him. Ricky Rudd and Martin Truex Jr. were collected as well. Rudd remained on the lead lap, but Truex fell a lap down. McMurray and Earnhardt Jr. both were out of the race, finishing 31st and 32nd, respectively. The race was delayed for approximately 12 minutes for cleanup under the red flag. This set up a green-white-checkered finish.
With 2 laps to go, an outside line began to form, with Kevin Harvick, Kenseth and Jeff Burton. Martin came to the white flag looking for a victory. On the backstretch, Kyle Busch, sitting 2nd place, tried both ways to get around Martin. Meanwhile, Kenseth began to bump-draft Harvick, with Burton in tow. Harvick flew by David Stremme, Gilliland, Mike Wallace, David Ragan and Greg Biffle. Busch, trying to get around Martin and block Harvick at the same, nearly squeezed Harvick into the wall as Harvick zipped past him and pulled even with Martin. Harvick and Martin, Busch and Kenseth, and Biffle and Burton were side by side out of turn 4. With the checkered flag in sight, Busch hit the apron, getting him loose. He spun out and started a chain reaction collecting most of the field. Clint Bowyer took the worst hit, turning over on his roof and skidding across the finish line on it while on fire before flipping back upright in the grass. Harvick beat Martin by .02 of a second to claim the victory. After being 6th place out of turn 4, Burton finished 3rd. Mike Wallace and David Ragan were surprises, rounding out the Top 5.
Race results
Controversy over the finish
Because of an incident between Casey Mears and Dale Jarrett at the 2003 Sylvania 300 in New Hampshire International Speedway, NASCAR mandated a "freezing of the field" policy whenever a caution flag is thrown, effectively ending the phenomenon that is racing back to the caution. Such a flag did not fly after the last-lap crash. There is some disputed visual evidence that suggests that, if the caution had flown strictly according to NASCAR rules, Martin may have won.[46]
The issue was especially passionate because Martin was in his 23rd Daytona 500 start and had never won. Such a win, arguably, would have been popular with fans, similar to Dale Earnhardt's 1998 victory (in his 20th start) or Darrell Waltrip's 1989 triumph (in his 17th). Martin retired following the 2013 season, never having achieved a Daytona 500 victory in his 29 attempts.
In some races, NASCAR has permitted the cars to run to the finish in case of more "minor" spins on the last lap.
Notes and references
Notes
References
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